Unless Collin McHugh is a big spender, his wallet won't be lighter after the 2020 season than it is now.
The Boston Red Sox pitcher was one of several major league pitchers in a unique position: His 2020 contract, originally for $600,000 guaranteed, was prorated to $222,222 for Major League Baseball's 60-game season.
That's less than the $286,500 advance every MLB player with a guaranteed contract received in March, which means McHugh in theory would owe the Red Sox about $64,000 this year.
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In practice, though, McHugh won't have to pay up, based on a report Thursday from The Athletic's Evan Drellich:
Per Drellich, players in McHugh's position -- i.e. any MLB player making less than $774,000 this season on a guaranteed deal -- are off the hook, with teams drawing from an MLB-MLB Players Association "joint fund" to recoup their losses.
That's good news for the veteran right-hander, who came over from the Houston Astros in March and still is rehabbing from a non-surgical elbow procedure he had this offseason.
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It's also a good sign for baseball, which still has several issues to hash out as it attempts to play the 2020 season but seemingly isn't getting hung up on contractual nuances like this one.
If all goes to plan, the Red Sox and MLB's 29 other teams will begin training camp July 1 in preparation for a July 23 or 24 start to the 2020 season.